Cast and Crew

Main Cast

Phil Keoghan

The Story

After using their Express Pass, Ernie & Cindy thought they had a victory sealed up until Andy & Tommy snatched it away in a dramatic come from behind win. ENJOYING THE RIDE Departing the Pit Stop in first place at 5:28am, professional snowboarders Andy & Tommy ripped open their clue instructing them to take a crowded two hour bus ride to the town of Salima and find their next clue at the bus terminal. With a Double U-Turn coming up on this leg, all seven teams boarded a 7am bus heading to Salima, including last place Amani & Marcus, who also faced a Speed Bump being the last on the previous leg of the race. Although the bus already appeared full when the racers hopped on, apparently there was room for plenty more people and the assorted large items they carried in hand. Bill noted, "Things are getting packed in here like sardines.” As the crowded bus wound through the vast, flat landscape of Malawi, a reflective Marcus remarked on what he saw out the window, saying, "It was really magical for me…just to see as majestic as it was to be able to look in any direction and see for miles. Just see all the people walking in the streets. People carrying things on their heads, tending to their kids, homes that looked like little buildings, little shacks.

I just took inventory of how fortunate we are in the U.S.” PUZZLING SPEED BUMP Arriving in the small town of Salima, the seven teams ran off the bus searching for their next clue. Married couple Amani & Marcus quickly spotted the Speed Bump sign and ran over to it. A Speed Bump was a task that only Amani & Marcus had to perform for coming in last place in the previous leg. In it, they had to configure the new Malawian flag using a slide puzzle. If they could move all the pieces into the right place to reveal the flag, they could continue racing. AT YOUR SERVICE While Amani & Marcus got to work sliding the pieces of the puzzle around the board, the other six teams ripped open their clue to discover a Roadblock. In it, one team member had to use a local bicycle taxi, known as a kabaza, to deliver a passenger carrying fish to one of three specific addresses written on their fish. Once they dropped off their customer at the correct address, they had to return to the start at the bus station and hand over their earnings to the kabaza dispatcher, who would then hand over their next clue. Hopping on bicycles with their passengers seated behind them, Cindy, Laurence, Jennifer, Sandy, Cathi, and Andy all struggled to adapt to riding the old bikes as they pedaled through traffic whizzing past them at an alarming rate. A nervous Sandy said, "I’m gonna get killed” Less concerned about his safety, Laurence noted the rather uncomfortable bike seats that could crush certain body parts rather easily.

Meanwhile, the task didn’t faze professional snowboarder, Andy, who later commented, "I have tons of experience…I know what it’s like to balance someone on the bike.” However, his enjoyment was short lived when the pedals fell off of his bike, leaving him stranded in the middle of the road. STILL PUZZLED As racers continued their taxi service through Salima, Amani & Marcus remained at the bus station, unable to crack the maddening slide puzzle. After furiously moving the pieces around the board, Amani thought she finally found a solution, only to learn one piece out of place. Frustrated, she muttered, "So close, yet so far away.” With Marcus out of ideas to help his wife, Amani continued to shuffle the pieces, later saying, "I really enjoy puzzles, but every moment that went past, you’re thinking they’re [the other teams] that much further ahead of us.” While Cindy dropped off her passenger at Patsetse Pamlambe in exchange for taxi fare, Andy worked with locals to fix his damaged bike. As they hammered away on the pedal to secure it back in place, Andy said, "These guys are being a huge help.” Once the bike was back in working condition, Andy jumped back on, realizing he should probably pedal slower to avoid another catastrophe. Even with the rickety bike, the professional snowboarder managed to find the Mudzingoyangana Mini Shop in second place, just ahead of the slow but steady Cathi, who safely delivered her passenger to the mini shop as well. DETOUR DECISION Returning to the bus station, Cindy exchanged the money she made from her taxi service for the next clue, a Detour with the choice of Dug Out or Lug Out. Dug Out required teams to participate in the Lake Malawi dugout canoe race, Amazing Race style. They had to choose a traditional canoe and paddle out to a group of drummers. When they made it back to shore, the fisherman would hand them their next clue.

Lugout required teams to unload cargo and passengers from a ferryboat, just like the locals do. Working together, they had to carry two boxes of cabbage, two bundles of sugar cane, two bundles of brooms, one chair, one fan, and eight passengers who expect to stay dry. Once they unloaded all their cargo, a porter would hand them their next clue. STANDING STILL As Ernie & Cindy and Andy & Tommy raced to Lake Malawi in taxis, a relieved Amani & Marcus finally completed the slide puzzle Speed Bump and ran over to the Roadblock, where a determined Marcus jumped on a bike, trying to catch up to the other teams. Marcus later commented, "To get ready for the race I did a lot of bike riding…so I was just zooming.” With Laurence and Sandy working together to drop their passengers off at Mtukula Mwendo, Jennifer found the mini shop and safely delivered her passenger, but instantly realized she made a mistake. She left her Roadblock clue at the bus station with Justin, so she did not know what she needed to do next. Frozen with indecision and confusion, Jennifer decided to wait in hopes that another team would come along and she could ask.

After spending some time waiting next to the mini shop as puzzled locals looked on, Jennifer then decided to ride up to the main street but her luck there in encountering a team was no better. LOSING TIME As Jennifer remained gripped with indecision, last place Marcus dropped off his passenger and returned to the bus station where an excited Amani and worried Justin stood waiting. Now in sixth place, Amani & Marcus jumped in their taxi where a pumped up Marcus said, "Our time is now! Get out of the way! I’m coming! I’m coming!” Standing alone in the village of Salima, last place Jennifer remained convinced that her best plan of attack was to stand and wait for another team. As precious minutes ticked away, she commented, "I’m definitely frustrated…the only thing I can do is watch the entrance to the village and wait. I don’t know what else to try. Why didn’t I grab the clue?” Eventually, Jennifer, who conceded she lost track of time, finally made the choice of returning to the bus station. When she made it back to the station, Jennifer retrieved the clue from Justin’s fanny pack and paid the dispatcher to finally complete the Roadblock. Walking to their taxi, an apologetic Jennifer said, "Sorry about that.” Justin replied, "I was worried you were hurt.” TRYING TO WIN Arriving at Lake Malawi within moments of each other, Ernie & Cindy and Andy & Tommy both opted to try paddling in dugout canoes. Not surprisingly, the professional snowboarders deftly handled their heavy canoe with ease, passing by Ernie & Cindy, who paddled around in circles, barely crossing the starting line. Watching Andy & Tommy cruise out to the drummers and sensing another leg slip away from them, Ernie & Cindy made the decision to use their Express Pass.

After returning the very short distance to shore and handing over the pass, Ernie & Cindy opened their next clue instructing them to find the Double U-Turn at the Jamaica Shop. With a small cushion on Andy & Tommy, Ernie & Cindy ran away from the beach in search of the Jamaica Shop. On a bluff overlooking the lake, the engaged couple could see their lead dwindling as Andy & Tommy rounded the drummers and headed back to shore. Finally, the engaged couple asked a local who directed them back down to the beach where they returned just as Andy & Tommy paddled into shore. Now barely ahead of the professional snowboarders, Ernie & Cindy found the Jamaica Shop and the Double U-Turn which gave two teams the opportunity to slow down two other teams by making them perform both sides of the Detour. After deciding to not U-Turn anyone, Ernie & Cindy ripped open their next clue which instructed them to make their way on foot to the Pit Stop at Sunbird Livingstonia Beach. A FINAL SURGE Now with the slimmest of leads on Andy & Tommy, who also chose not to U-Turn anyone, Ernie & Cindy began the long jog up the dirt road to the Sunbird Livingstonia. Knowing the professional snowboarders were hot on their trail, Ernie told Cindy, "This is where we lose every time.” Trying to jog faster, Cindy apologized to Ernie, who took her bag in an effort to speed up and fend off the surging Andy & Tommy. As everyone approached the Sunbird Livingstonia, Andy & Tommy could see Ernie & Cindy in the far distance, prompting Tommy to tell Andy to "pick up the pace a hair.” As Ernie & Cindy rounded the corner onto the beach next to the Sunbird Livingstonia, Phil in their sights, Andy & Tommy ran up from behind the engaged couple and passed them, stepping onto the mat in first place once again.

A disappointed Cindy collapsed on the sand in defeat before standing and claiming second place with Ernie. For their victory, Andy & Tommy won $15,000 from Discover Card. Still upset, Cindy told Phil, "We really thought our Express Pass would get us a win.” IN SYNC A trio of teams set off in their dugout canoes taking very different approaches and temperaments towards the potentially daunting task. With nearly 50 years of relationship experience to draw from, Bill & Cathi’s incredible teamwork put them far in front of dating couple Jeremy & Sandy, who bickered as they floundered near the start line. In a surprise, sailors Laurence & Zac did fare much better that Jeremy & Sandy, as Laurence shouted to Zac how he thought it best to steer, prompting the mellow Zac to reply, "You gotta not be frantic with this, or we’re not going to get it done.” Watching Bill & Cathi extended their lead, an incredulous Sandy later remarked, "Once again the 60-year olds were straight as an arrow. They’re just cool and calm and we’re not. They put us to shame.” Arriving at Lake Malawi in sixth place, Amani & Marcus waded out to the ferryboat where Marcus ferried passengers back to the shore on his shoulders while Amani grabbed the fan and chair. Marcus joked, "This would be a good pre-training camp workout.” With Jeremy & Sandy still struggling on the canoes, Amani & Marcus slowly and methodically hauled the passengers and cargo to shore. At times, the married couple had to dig deep to find the energy to complete the physically grueling task, but they powered through and managed to jump up a spot to fifth place passing Jeremy & Sandy. A MISCALCULATION Back on the shore, fourth place Laurence & Zac had the same difficulties as Ernie & Cindy in finding the Jamaica Shop. The time the father and son adventurers wasted trying to find it allowed Amani & Marcus to pass by them, moving up to fourth place after choosing not to U-Turn anyone. After crossing paths with Amani & Marcus, the now frazzled Laurence & Zac finally found the Jamaica Shop and decided to use the U-Turn to avoid potential elimination. In a curious move, the father and son team chose to U-Turn Amani & Marcus, hoping they had not yet found the Jamaica Shop. Since the married couple already passed through the U-Turn, Laurence & Zac effectively threw away their opportunity to cushion their lead on teams behind them.

ELIMINATED As last place Justin & Jennifer arrived at Lake Malawi and began to paddle their canoe, the siblings experienced a glimmer of hope when they learned sixth place Jeremy & Sandy could not find the Jamaica Shop. The dating couple ran away from the beach and continued to search in vain for the U-Turn while the siblings kept paddling on the lake. Finally, Jeremy & Sandy, with the help of their taxi driver, returned to the beach where they found the Jamaica Shop and managed to end the day in sixth place. Stepping on the mat in last place, siblings Justin & Jennifer received the bad news from Phil that they had been eliminated from the race. Jennifer told Phil, "We had a good time. It would’ve been nice to go all the way, but it was just a silly mistake on my part. I’ll definitely be feeling guilty about this for awhile.” Justin added, "I think our relationship has definitely been strengthened by the race. I know we got off to a rocky start, but then we really were a hardcore racing machine.” 1907 ROUTE MARKERS Roadblock. A Roadblock is a task that only one person has to perform. In this Roadblock, that person had to use a local bicycle taxi, known as a kabaza, to deliver a passenger carrying fish to one of three specific addresses written on their fish. Once they dropped off their customer at the right address, they had to return to where they started and hand over their earnings to the kabaza dispatcher, who would hand over their next clue. Performed Roadblock: LAURENCE, JENNIFER, CINDY, ANDY, CATHI, SANDY, MARCUS Detour. A Detour is a choice between two tasks. In this Detour, teams chose between Dug Out and Lug Out. Dug Out required teams to participate in the Lake Malawi dugout canoe race, Amazing Race style. They had to choose a traditional canoe and paddle out to a group of drummers. When they made it back to shore, the fisherman would hand them their next clue.

Lugout required teams to unload cargo and passangers from a ferryboat just like the locals do. Working together, they had to carry two boxes of cabbage, two bundles of sugar cane, two bundles of brooms, one chair, one fan, and eight passengers who expect to stay dry. Once they unloaded all their cargo, a porter would hand them their next clue. Dug Out: Ernie/Cindy (Express Pass), Andy/Tommy, Jeremy/Sandy, Bill/Cathi, Laurence/Zac, Justin/Jennifer Lug Out: Amani/Marcus Double U-Turn: The Double U-Turn gives two teams the opportunity to slow down two other teams by making them perform both sides of the Detour.